The
Vermilion Cliffs are the second "step" up in the five-step
Grand StaircaseFor the similarly named structure on the RMS Titanic, see Grand Staircase of the Titanic
For the stairs in the White House see Grand Staircase ...
of the
Colorado PlateauThe Colorado Plateau, also called the Colorado Plateau Province, is a physiographic region of the Intermontane Plateaus, roughly centered on the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States. The province covers an area of 337,000 km² within western Colorado, northwestern New Mexico,...
. Reddish or
vermilionVermilion, sometimes spelled vermillion, when found naturally occurring, is an opaque orangish red pigment, used since antiquity, originally derived from the powdered mineral cinnabar. Chemically, the pigment is mercuric sulfide, HgS, and like many mercury compounds it is toxic...
-colored cliffs are found along U.S. Highway 89 and U.S. Highway 89A near
Kanab, UtahKanab is a city in and the county seat of Kane County, Utah, United States. The population was 3,564 at the 2000 census. Locals refer to Kanab as "Little Hollywood" due to its history as a filming location for western movies and television series such as Daniel Boone, Gunsmoke, Planet Of The Apes,...
(and near
Navajo BridgeNavajo Bridge crosses the Colorado River's Marble Canyon near Lee's Ferry in the U.S. state of Arizona. Apart from the Glen Canyon Bridge a few miles upstream at Page, Arizona, it is the only roadway crossing of the river and the Grand Canyon for nearly...
in
ArizonaThe State of Arizona is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix. The second largest city is Tucson, followed in size by the four Phoenix metropolitan area cities of Mesa, Glendale, Chandler, and Scottsdale.Arizona was the 48th and...
). They extend from a location near
Page, ArizonaPage is a city in Coconino County, Arizona, United States, near the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 6,794.-Geography:Page is located at ....
, west for a considerable distance, in both Arizona and
UtahUtah is a western state of the United States. It was the 45th state admitted to the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80 percent of Utah's 2,736,424 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering around Salt Lake City. In contrast, vast expanses of the state are nearly uninhabited, making...
. of the region were designated as the
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs WildernessThe Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness is a wilderness area located in northern Arizona and southern Utah, USA, within the arid Colorado Plateau region. The wilderness is composed of broad plateaus, tall escarpments, and deep canyons....
in 1984, and an even greater area was proclaimed
Vermilion Cliffs National MonumentVermilion Cliffs National Monument is located in Arizona, immediately south of the Utah state line. This National Monument, 294,000 acre in area, protects the Paria Plateau, Vermilion Cliffs, Coyote Buttes, and Paria Canyon...
in 2000.
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The
Vermilion Cliffs are the second "step" up in the five-step
Grand StaircaseFor the similarly named structure on the RMS Titanic, see Grand Staircase of the Titanic
For the stairs in the White House see Grand Staircase ...
of the
Colorado PlateauThe Colorado Plateau, also called the Colorado Plateau Province, is a physiographic region of the Intermontane Plateaus, roughly centered on the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States. The province covers an area of 337,000 km² within western Colorado, northwestern New Mexico,...
. Reddish or
vermilionVermilion, sometimes spelled vermillion, when found naturally occurring, is an opaque orangish red pigment, used since antiquity, originally derived from the powdered mineral cinnabar. Chemically, the pigment is mercuric sulfide, HgS, and like many mercury compounds it is toxic...
-colored cliffs are found along U.S. Highway 89 and U.S. Highway 89A near
Kanab, UtahKanab is a city in and the county seat of Kane County, Utah, United States. The population was 3,564 at the 2000 census. Locals refer to Kanab as "Little Hollywood" due to its history as a filming location for western movies and television series such as Daniel Boone, Gunsmoke, Planet Of The Apes,...
(and near
Navajo BridgeNavajo Bridge crosses the Colorado River's Marble Canyon near Lee's Ferry in the U.S. state of Arizona. Apart from the Glen Canyon Bridge a few miles upstream at Page, Arizona, it is the only roadway crossing of the river and the Grand Canyon for nearly...
in
ArizonaThe State of Arizona is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix. The second largest city is Tucson, followed in size by the four Phoenix metropolitan area cities of Mesa, Glendale, Chandler, and Scottsdale.Arizona was the 48th and...
). They extend from a location near
Page, ArizonaPage is a city in Coconino County, Arizona, United States, near the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 6,794.-Geography:Page is located at ....
, west for a considerable distance, in both Arizona and
UtahUtah is a western state of the United States. It was the 45th state admitted to the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80 percent of Utah's 2,736,424 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering around Salt Lake City. In contrast, vast expanses of the state are nearly uninhabited, making...
. of the region were designated as the
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs WildernessThe Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness is a wilderness area located in northern Arizona and southern Utah, USA, within the arid Colorado Plateau region. The wilderness is composed of broad plateaus, tall escarpments, and deep canyons....
in 1984, and an even greater area was proclaimed
Vermilion Cliffs National MonumentVermilion Cliffs National Monument is located in Arizona, immediately south of the Utah state line. This National Monument, 294,000 acre in area, protects the Paria Plateau, Vermilion Cliffs, Coyote Buttes, and Paria Canyon...
in 2000. Famous locations in the cliff area include
Lee's FerryLee's Ferry is a site on the Colorado River in Coconino County, Arizona, United States, about 7.5 miles southwest of the town of Page, Arizona and the Glen Canyon Dam, and about 9 mi south of the Utah-Arizona border. It is the former location of a ferry established by John D. Lee, a Mormon settler...
,
Glen CanyonGlen Canyon is a canyon that is located in southeastern and south central Utah and northwestern Arizona within the Vermilion Cliffs area. It was carved by the Colorado River....
(a national recreational area),
The WaveThe Wave is a sandstone rock formation located in the United States of America near the Arizona and Utah border on the slopes of the Coyote Buttes, in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, on the Colorado Plateau...
,
Coyote ButtesCoyote Buttes is a section of the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness managed by the Bureau of Land Management , spanning extreme South Central Utah and North Central Arizona, just south of US 89 halfway between Kanab, Utah and Page, Arizona....
, and others.
The cliffs sat astride an important route from Utah to Arizona used by settlers during the 19th Century. The area was thoroughly explored by the
Mormon